Eyes on Fire
by Tiffany Blews
Summary: She doesn't smile very often and she is constantly reminding you that she 'cannot love you'. tessnate, oneshot.


_I won't soothe your pain_

_I won't ease your strain_

_You'll be waiting in vain_

_I got nothing for you to gain_

_Blue Foundation- Eyes On Fire_

_&&&_

You can see _her_.

You don't see the ice or the power or any of _that_; you can only see the beauty. The beauty is overpowering. The hair that shines and the eyes that scorch, the touch that freezes and the lips that smirk. You lose your breath around her, even when you're holding onto it for dear life, you are losing it, instantaneous. She is too composed and in control and you want to tell her to _just live_, but you hold it in. Tess doesn't like suggestions and you don't want her to storm off- it hurts too much.

She doesn't smile very often and she is constantly reminding you that she_ cannot love you_. You laugh and reply that you_ aren't looking for love_. She shakes her head, because she knows that you are. She can see through you, like you can see through her. You tell yourself again and again- _don't have expectations, expectations lead to disappointment. _But, against your better judgement, you are still expecting. She is a liar, you _know_ this. So, when she says all that about love, you think that she is _lying_; that she _can_ love you- well, you're hoping.

She looks at you like you're a mistake. You know that she has this one track plan for herself (_win win win_), and that probably doesn't include you. You are a distraction, something that will throw her off course, but she isn't taking any actions to remove you, so you take that as a good sign.

She is always checking herself, like she can't trust what she's _feeling_. You don't know what to make of it, but you're thinking that maybe those feelings are telling her that she's in love (_more like hoping, hoping hoping hoping_).

When you fight with her, it's kind of magical. She gets this perfectly genuine look on her face (_one you know she's not faking_) when she's screaming things at you. It makes you smile and then she screams some more because _what the fuck are you smiling about?_You walk up to her and wrap your arms around her waist, she looks at you incredulously and then she pushes against your chest. You bring your lips to her ear (_and this is absolutely forbidden in the game you play_) and whisper _you're so pretty when you're mad. _She shivers and you know that _it's _real, that she does feel _something_, you want to say _I told you so!_, but instead you hold on tighter and kiss her collar bone. She whispers your name (_you'll dream about that later_) and then she leans into you. You swallow hard and you lay a kiss right below her jaw, where her pulse beats. She lets out a sigh and then she pushes you away, she blinks like she's confused and then she storms away.

You smile a big smile and remember the feel of her skin under your lips.

&&&

"I don't know what you're trying to pull-" She says, her eyes on the ground.

"I'm not trying to _pull_ anything."

She shakes her head, holds up her hand.

"I don't know what you're trying to pull, but it's not gong to work."

You give her this look.

"Why can't you just accept that I have feelings for you?"

"Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"Do you really want an answer to that?"

_Because I love you. I LOVE YOU. I L-O-V-E Y-O-U. _

She swallows, turns around, walks out.

&&&

_Damn window!_

It's 2 AM and you're at her window, trying and failing miserably to get it open.

You give up with a big sigh, _shit._

It jerks open and you jump back a couple of feet.

_Nathaniel Black what the fuck are you doing?!?_

You smirk, _success._

"What do you want?"

_You._

"To talk to you."

_Coward._

"Can't it wait?"

"No."

"Fine."

You put your hands on the window sill and-

"Use the fucking door, _idiot._"

&&&

"You have a cabin all to yourself?"

She's rummaging through her mini-fridge, you hear a large sigh.

"Nate, it's late and I need my sleep. _What do you want?_"

She pulls out a Jones Soda bottle and sits down in one of the comfy chairs that are placed around the cabin. She uncaps it and takes a sip, eyes drilling holes in you.

You take a deep breath and-

"I was outside, sitting on the dock, and I was just thinking. I was thinking about Shane and the band and Final Jam and all the good talent and my guitar... and then I thought about you."

She bites her lip, a simple nervous habit, and it sends your heart into overdrive.

"I'm tired of dancing around _this_," He motions between them.

"I'm tired of you pretending that I don't..."

Her nails are pressing into her palm _so hard_, and she knows what's coming.

"I love-"

_Shutup! Shutup, Nate, just get out! Get out!_

"I love you, Tess! I do. I love you, I love you, I LOVE YOU."

She's not in her chair anymore, she's stomping over to you. She reaches her destination and she slaps you, _so hard. _

"_You do not love me._" She says, voice shaking.

You leap from your seat, ignoring the stinging in your cheek, and you get right in her face, _so close_, and you're daring her. Daring her to tell you that she doesn't love you, because you know she does.

"Say it, Tess, tell me you don't love me. Tell me."

She turns on her heel, walks far away from you.

"Nathaniel, I told you. I told you from the beginning, I can't do _this_."

She takes a deep breath.

"I don't..."

You begin to walk to her, _so slowly._ Her back is to you and she says:

_I can't get-_

You wrap your arms around her waist, hold her tight, put your cheek on hers.

_I can't get hurt again._

_I will never hurt you._

_Promise?_

_Promise._

_I love you, Nathaniel._

A broad smile stretches across your face, _I love you too_, because you knew it all along.

_Author Note- Yeah, I know it was stupid. I just love Tess and Nate._


End file.
